Google Posts introduced one of their newest features during the 2016 presidential election, testing its usability with both politicians and their followers. When users made a Google search for one of the candidates, they would quickly be able to see the most recent information from the candidate themselves on their results page. Google used the presidential campaign as a logical way to test this and other new features, as people often searched the candidates primarily for campaign information, their latest statement on a pressing issue, or another piece of information the candidates wanted to make public. Google took note of the feature’s usability and has now applied it to other fields that they have decided will be most relevant.
The feature now allows sports organizations, museums, movies and musicians to submit information directly to Google that they would like to display when users search their name. Posts allow for eligible parties to submit long-form text, photos, videos and even GIFs. Because many of these organizations have a constant flow of updating information, Google has named them most deserving of being able to submit information directly to their servers or through their social media. The goal is to show users exactly the information they are looking for, whether it be an updated March Madness bracket or the newest exhibit at your local museum.
This practice gives users a higher probability of finding the information they are looking for without having to search elsewhere or link out to any other websites. This relatively new Google Posts feature is currently only available in the United States and Brazil and still seems to be in the beginning stages, made evident by the feature only being available for musicians in Brazil, not yet in the US. Posting directly to Google’s servers benefits both Google and those posting, as organizations are able to control the content many users see toward the top of their results and Google will be able to provide users with the most relevant information in a short period of time.